My Thoughts on the Long-awaited "Miss Austen"

Finally the long-awaited adaptation of Gill Hornby's "Miss Austen" is out! The new mini-series aired on BBC this week, and many Janeites have been glued to the screens, excited to see Jane and her sister Cassandra come to life in this biopic. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this adaptation and thought I would share my thoughts on the series, whilst it is still fresh in my mind. 

 Young Cassandra Austen played by Synnove Carlsen. 

You might remember my earlier post where I shared my trip to Kintbury after reading "Miss Austen" by Hornby.  It was lovely to walk around the quaint village where Cassandra Austen stayed with the Fowle family at their home, Kintbury Rectory, where Hornby now lives and where she was inspired to write the novel. 

As I mentioned, the novel explores Cassandra's connection to Kintbury but also her possible motives for destroying a bulk of Jane's letters - a huge loss to us Austen historians. 

Mature Cassandra in front of Chawton Cottage played by Keeley Hawes.

I've recently been quite disappointed by the quality of many of the Austen adaptations, which haven't followed the period style either in manners, fashions or historical detail. The recent Netflix version of Persuasion certainly divided opinions, and I  haven't able to watch it again after the first time, as I found it too cringey. Becoming Jane, the Austen biopic with Anne Hathaway, was another one that took too many liberties to my liking. Therefore I was delighted to see this story being produced in a more realistic style more true to historical detail (albeit a work of fiction!). 

Jane and Cassandra 

It's wonderful to see Cassandra come into life in this biopic and to see the depth of her character and the closeness of the sisters' relationship more than in previous films. 

Mature Cassandra (Keeley Hawes)

Keeley Hawes, who I am partial to, portrays the mature Cassandra Austen beautifully with so much emotion. 

Jane (Patsy Ferran)

Similarly, the casting of Jane Austen as Patsy Ferran (above) is spot on - this is how I imagine Jane - petite and brown-eyed, feisty, playful and witty. 

Patsy captures Jane's lively personality beautifully and the gradual decline in her mood and health as the story progresses (yet again, the historical detail!). 

Moving depiction of Jane's depression in Bath. 

The casting of most of the other characters is excellent. Mary Austen comes to life brilliantly as the irritable, undiplomatic Mary Austen (Liv Hill/Jessica Hynes), and the Austen brothers are excellent choices as well. 

Hubert Burton as Henry Austen 

I enjoyed watching the part where Jane is proposed by the socially awkward Harris Bigg-Wither, whose offer of marriage Jane accepted but turned down overnight - his personality is wonderfully portrayed here. 

Tom Glenister as the painfully shy Harris Bigg-Wither. 

I was somewhat disappointed by Phyllis Logan's rendition of Mrs Austen, however, who seems more like Mrs Hughes than Mrs Austen - the historical Mrs Austen comes across as rather a big personality (as matriarch of the family) and as someone with dramatic, hypochondriac tendencies. 

Mrs Austen (Phyllis Logan) and Mr Austen (Kevin McNally). 

Tom Fowle (Calam Lynch), Cassandra's fiancee, reminds me of Willoughby (played by Greg Wise)!

Tom Fowle (Calam Lynch)

What disturbed me slightly about this story is the choice to portray Henry Hobday (Max Irons) as Cassandra's love interest in Sidmouth. 

Max Irons as Henry Hobday

I have always imagined Sidmouth to have been the place where Jane allegedly met the love of her life, and this storyline is entirely fictional and results in further grief for Cassandra Austen. 

Miss Austen is essentially a story about grief, which really comes through in this adaptation. 

Cassandra by Jane's deathbed. 

The series is beautifully shot and there are many cinematographically stunning shots in carefully designed sets and locations. The candlelight hue in most of the indoor scenes seems realistic, as rooms would have been darker in Jane Austen's times. 

The story highlights the lack of choices that unmarried women faced in the early 19th Century and how they were at the mercy of their husbands and brothers - and this is the story of Jane Austen, too. As an Austenite, I loved seeing this story come to life, but I am unsure of how a non-connoisseur would receive this series - would it captivate them or would they get bored? Knowing the background and recognising all the characters certainly helps. Do let me know what you think in the comments. 

I had the pleasure of watching a speech by Gill Hornby at the Regency Picnic in Chawton in 2023, where Gill talked about her upcoming novel about Jane's Niece, Fanny Knatchbull. I look forward to reading her next novel. 

Gill Hornby in at the Regency Picnic in Chawton (2023). 

Do have a look at my photos from Kintbury here: 

Austenised: Following "Miss Austen's" Footsteps Through Historic Kintbury